Tag: South Africa

Legendary batter AB de Villiers on Friday, predicted the winner of the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final between South Africa and India.

The former captain acknowledged the challenge Rohit Sharma’s side possesses but insisted that the Proteas have all bases covered and are favourites to clinch their first-ever title.

“The moment of truth has arrived. South Africans have been waiting for 33 years to see the Proteas play in an ICC World Cup final. After so many heartbreaks, we know all about them. South Africa will play India in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday and I am backing the Proteas to win. It will be close as we all know India are a team of superstars but I believe South Africa’s time has come,” De Villiers said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“This Proteas team brings power. Power at the top order with De Kock, Hendricks, and Markram, power in the middle with Miller, Klaasen, and Stubbs, and power in the pace attack of Jansen, Rabada, and Nortje. Now add the skills of Shamsi and Maharaj, and you’ve all the bases covered. Some will say that they have not produced their best cricket in the tournament so far but they have won eight from eight and that’s not bad,” he added.

“India have their own match-winners of course and they also bring the power of more than a billion people urging them to go out there and win another World Cup. Maybe my heart is ruling my head but I just think it’s South Africa’s time,” AB de Villiers concluded.

India and South Africa will lock horns in the high-voltage T20 World Cup 2024 final at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

Both teams are unbeaten in the ongoing mega event as South Africa won all their eight matches while India won seven as one of their group-stage fixtures against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

READ: Ricky Ponting has an advice for South Africa ahead of T20 World Cup final

Australia’s two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting offered a piece of advice for South Africa ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final against India.

South Africa and India will lock horns in the final of the ongoing mega event at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 29.

This is the first time the Proteas Men are competing in a World Cup final, having lost seven semi-finals, including a gut-wrenching defeat against Australia in the 1999 World Cup.

Meanwhile, former Australia captain Ponting wants South Africa to embrace the importance of the big match and advised the team to enjoy it as they have not been there before.

“A lot of teams say ‘It’s just another game’ and they try and hide away from how big the occasion is and it is no good doing that. it is all about embracing it for what it is,” Ponting stated.

“These players haven’t been there before, so enjoy tonight, enjoy tomorrow. But make sure everything you do leading in is the same and your preparation is the same,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Ricky Ponting also lauded South Africa for maintaining a perfect record in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 as the side is the only team to have won all of their matches and urged them to be themselves in the final.

“They are undefeated up to here, so they don’t need to change anything and they don’t need to try any harder.

“They just need to turn up and be the best version of themselves and the best version of themselves as a team on the day and give themselves the best chance.

“If they do that, they will be hard to beat.”

READ: Rohit advises teammates ahead of T20 World Cup 2024 final

India captain Rohit Sharma urged his teammates to keep it simple in their upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa.

The inaugural champions are set to lock horns with South Africa, playing their first-ever final, in a bid to lift the glittering title for the second time.

Meanwhile, India captain Rohit acknowledged the importance of the high-stakes match against South Africa but insisted his team to enter the clash with the same mindset they used at the event thus far.

“We’ve been very calm as a team,” Rohit said after India’s semi-final victory over England.

“We do understand the occasion (in the final), but for us, it’s important to keep calm and composed.

“That helps us make good decisions. We need to make good decisions through the 40 overs. In this game too, we were steady and calm, and didn’t panic too much. That has been the key for us. Yes, we do understand the occasion is important, but we need to play good cricket as well.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Rohit Sharma led his side from the front in the blockbuster T20 World Cup 2024 final against defending champions England as he top-scored with a well-crafted half-century at the top of the order, followed by Suryakumar Yadav’s handy contribution with a brisk 47, leading India to 171/7.

Chasing a daunting 178-run total, England were never in the run chase with India’s spinners doing most of the demolition as Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja shared six wickets between them.

“They are gun spinners,” said Rohit.

“When conditions are like that in front of them, it’s very difficult to play some shots. Yes, the pressure is on them to execute those balls, but they were very calm and knew what to bowl. We had a chat after the first innings: the plan was to hit the stumps as much as possible and keep the stumps in play and that’s what they did.”

READ: Rain threat looms large over T20 World Cup 2024 final

BARBADOS: The highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa, scheduled here at Kensington Oval on June 29, is likely to be affected by rain.

The bad weather may play spoilsport in the final as rain is expected throughout the day.

According to weather.com, there are 66 per cent chances of rain at around 10:30 AM local time (7:30 PM PST), the scheduled start time of the game.

Moreover, the forecast remains grim late in the evening with a 50% chance of precipitation at 4:00 pm local time (1:00 AM PST), posing a threat to the possibility of a full-fledged match.

As a result, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has allocated a reserve day for the final on June 30 in a bid to ensure the completion of the high-stakes match but rigorous efforts will be made to complete the game as per the original schedule.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Remember, both teams will need to bat a minimum of ten overs to determine the result through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, unlike the group-stage matches where five overs per side are enough to produce the result.

Despite all the efforts, if both teams did not manage to bat ten overs each across the two-day period then the trophy will be shared.

India and South Africa are unstoppable in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 as both the finalists are thus far unbeaten.

South Africa won all eight matches they have played so far while India won seven out of eight as their group-stage fixture against Canada was abandoned without a ball bowled.

India made their way to the final by avenging their 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final defeat against England while South Africa blew away Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the ongoing mega event to qualify for their first-ever World Cup final.

READ: Match officials for T20 World Cup 2024 final confirmed

Young pacer Marco Jansen believes that South Africa have dispelled the “chokers” tag with their sensational run in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The Proteas, led by Aiden Markram, are unstoppable in the ongoing mega event as they are the only side to win all the matches they have played thus far.

South Africa held their nerves calm and emerged triumphant in close encounters against England and Nepal.

For the unversed, South Africa are often labelled as “chokers” in world cricket, due to their inability to go past the semi-finals stage in any Men’s Cricket World Cup and also because of losing high-stakes matches.

Meanwhile, Marco Jansen highlighted the team’s current form changed that label as they got over the line in some tense matches which, according to him, most of the teams could not replicate.

“I’m too young, I don’t believe in that any more. For the guys that have been playing a long time, for them to change that narrative or thinking when it comes to this team is very good,” said Jansen.

“In terms of the chokers label, I’m glad we changed that a little bit in this World Cup. The games that we’ve played in this World Cup, not a lot of teams would have got over the line,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Marco Jansen played a pivotal role in South Africa’s first-ever victory in a semi-final with brilliant bowling figures of 3/16 in 1.5 overs and was adjudged the Player of the Match.

“We weren’t sure how the wicket was going to play. We were happy to get one wicket in the first over, and then by the time I got my third we saw how the wicket was playing,” said Jansen.

“Going into this final we’re going to give it our best, and whatever happens, happens.”

It is worth mentioning here that South Africa outclassed Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 final, scheduled on June 29.

READ: Michael Vaughan highlights India’s “unfair advantage” in T20 World Cup

TOROUBA: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has opened up after the crushing defeat against South Africa in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 here on Wednesday.

Afghanistan, playing their first-ever semi-final of a World Cup in any format, bundled for a meagre 56 runs in the first innings and succumbed to a humiliating nine-wicket against South Africa.

Rashid Khan acknowledged the shortcomings in the semi-final, however, he expressed satisfaction over the team’s performance throughout the tournament, especially the pace bowlers.

“It was tough for us as a team. We might have done better but the conditions didn’t allow us to do what we wanted. That’s how T20 cricket is, you need to be ready for all conditions,” the leg-spinner stated after the match.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I think we got good success in this tournament because the seamers bowled really well, you need good starts. I think we were unlucky with Mujeeb’s injury, but our seamers and even Nabi bowled brilliantly with the new ball. That made our job easier as spinners.”

The 25-year-old further reflected on the lessons Afghanistan learned during their T20 World Cup 2024 and stated that they have the self-belief to defeat any team.

“We have enjoyed this tournament. We will accept playing a semi-final and losing to a top side like Africa. It is just the beginning for us, we have the confidence and belief to beat any side,” he added.

“We just need to keep our processes. This has been a great learning experience for us. What we take from the competition is the belief. We know we have the skills, it is just about managing tough situations, pressure situations.”

READ: English batter smashes second-fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket

TOROUBA: South Africa put up an impressive performance and completely outclassed Afghanistan in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to secure their spot in the final for the first time here on Wednesday.

Set to chase a meagre 57-run target, South Africa comfortably completed the pursuit in 8.5 overs after losing one wicket.

The Proteas did not get the desired start to the chase courtesy of Fazalhaq Farooqi who clean-bowled Quinton de Kock (5) in the second over.

However, Reeza Hendricks and captain Aiden Markram ensured that their side comfortably chased down the modest total.

They raised an unbeaten 55-run partnership for the second wicket and finished the game in the ninth over.

Hendricks top-scored with 29 runs from 25 balls, featuring three fours and one six, while Markram scored a 21-ball 23, laced with four boundaries.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan’s decision to bat first against South Africa at a tricky pitch did not bear fruits as they were bowled out for a paltry total in 11.5 overs.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Asian side had an unwanted start as they lost in-form opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) on the last ball of the first over with four runs on the board.

Marco Jansen, who dismissed Gurbaz, added another wicket to his tally in the next over when he bowled Gulbadin Naib (9).

What followed was a middle-order collapse as Afghanistan lost four more wickets in quick succession including Azmatullah Omarzai, who was the only batter to reach double figures with 10 off 12, to eventually slip to 28-6 in 6.3 overs.

Skipper Rashid Khan (8) and all-rounder Karim Janat (8) then showed some resistance with a 22-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Tabraiz Shamsi broke the partnership as removed the Janat, followed by the wicket of Noor Ahmed (0) in the same over.

Anrich Nortje bowled Khan, while Shamsi hit the final nail in the coffin with the wicket of last-man Naveen-ul-Haq (2) to wrap up Afghanistan’s innings.

Shamsi returned with brilliant bowling figures of 3-6, while Jansen claimed 3-16. Nortje and Kagiso Rabada managed two wickets each.

READ: Rashid Khan reprimanded for ICC Code of Conduct breach

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott Wednesday termed his side dangerous ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against South Africa on June 26.

Afghanistan, on Monday, made history as they qualified for an International Cricket Council (ICC) event’s semi-final by defeating Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller.

The Atalans defeated New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Uganda in the group stage before their historic victory over Australia, followed by Bangladesh in the Super Eights stage.

They lost only two matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 thus far against West Indies and India.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott, at the pre-match conference ahead of their high-stakes clash against South Africa, claimed that having no history in the semi-finals makes his team dangerous.

“I also think we go into the semi-final with no scarring or no history with regards to the semi-finals. This is uncharted territory for us. Just going to go out there and give it a roll,” Jonathan Trott said.

“There are no preconceived ideas, or history of failure or success in semi-finals so for us it is a new challenge. And I think it makes us dangerous in the semi-finals as a side with nothing to lose and obviously a lot of pressure on the opposition,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that South Africa are unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2024 with seven victories on the trot.

The Proteas made it to the T20 World Cup semi-finals twice but lost on each occasion.

READ: ICC unveils match officials for T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals